Santa Fe mayor David Coss received the endorsement of Ben Ray Luján today in his campaign for state House. Coss is running in the district that Luján’s father, Speaker of the House Ben Luján, is leaving as he battles cancer.

Coss faces Carl Trujillo in the Democratic primary next month.

It is perhaps not an unexpected endorsement given the brutal campaign that Luján’s father, Ben Luján, had against Trujillo in 2010. We now know that the elder Luján was undergoing treatment for cancer during that campaign.

“David Coss’s tenure as Mayor of Santa Fe is a reflection of his dedication and hard work to make sure our communities have the best representation possible,” Congressman Luján said in a statement. “He has a clear record of standing up for people and I know he will do the same as our State Representative.”

“Congressman Luján is a tremendous champion for northern New Mexico, we’re lucky to have him on our side in Washington.” Coss said in a statement. “I’m honored by his support and will continue building on the years of hard work that his father has put into this district.”

The race between Coss and Trujillo is one that many political observers are watching this year. Trujillo came very close to defeating longtime Speaker of the House Ben Luján in the Democratic primary in 2010 but came up just short.

Coss does not have the baggage that many consider the elder Luján to have and will be able to campaign more vigorously.

Matthew Reichbach has blogged about New Mexico politics since 2006. Matthew was a co-founder of New Mexico FBIHOP with his brother and part of the original hirings at the groundbreaking website the New Mexico Independent. Matthew has covered events such as the Democratic National Convention and Netroots Nation.
In addition to politics, Matthew is an avid sports fan, especially of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and TV fan.